1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a system for providing fast warm-up to selected areas of a vehicle, such as the engine air intake, the passenger compartment, or windows thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Conventional attempts to provide quick heat, such as to passenger compartments of automotive vehicles, generally utilize the three phase AC voltage generated by a driven alternator, prior to its rectification. Such systems are shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,300,619; U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,398; U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,450; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,525,853. In each of these systems, a low impedance heating load is switched to divert power for quick heating purposes. In the aforementioned prior art systems, the alternator is operated in either a regulated mode, which supplies a predetermined value of DC output voltage directly to the battery charging system, or in an unregulated mode when the heating elements are connected.
Prior art attempts to vaporize fuel for an internal combustion engine by employing an electric heat generating coil are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,137. However, in that disclosure, the heater is connected directly across the main storage battery.
Prior art attempts to provide sufficient power for heated backlights and the like, are further shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,348, wherein the heating elements are connected to the AC output of the alternator.